


The Wizard and Nott

by dementorsatemysoup



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Blood, Caleb's AC Sucks, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Gnolls Are Dicks, Hurt/Comfort, Nott the Mom, Platonic Relationships, Pre-Stream (Critical Role), Swearing, budding friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-18
Updated: 2019-05-18
Packaged: 2020-03-07 07:22:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18868471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dementorsatemysoup/pseuds/dementorsatemysoup
Summary: Caleb and Nott's "epic" gnoll fight.





	The Wizard and Nott

**Author's Note:**

> Ever since they mentioned Caleb and Nott fought gnolls in the first episode (pre-stream) I have wondered what actually went down in that fight. So, I wrote this. Thank you so much for reading and perhaps one day I'll attempt to do that giant snake fight that Beau, Fjord, and Jester had pre-stream.
> 
> I also tried to follow their level 2 stats, but I fudged a bit with Nott's abilities and had her fire multiple times because nerdy me rolled for damage and... Caleb nearly died so... yeah.
> 
> Drop me a comment if you can :)

“We need money.”

“Ja.”

“And a place to stay.”

“Ja.”

“And food...” Nott froze, looking up at Caleb worriedly. He’s too thin;  _ way _ too thin. Her buried maternal instinct reared up, a regular occurrence since meeting Caleb, and she found herself digging into her bag for any leftover food she’d taken from the last town. She didn’t find any, frowning down at the meager contents.  _ Figures. _

“We will get you food,” Caleb replied, giving Nott a pale smile, misinterpreting her intentions. Again. She waited until his back was turned before curling her hands into fists. This boy was going to be the death of her.

Nott didn’t like Trostenwald, but that’s not saying a lot; she didn’t like most places. Becoming a goblin did that to a person. She wasn’t a stranger to weird looks (she'd been stared at all her life), but now, with her bandages and tattered cloak and strange, porcelain mask, she got a lot more strange looks, and Caleb wasn’t faring any better.

While his look didn’t bother her so much (she’s a goblin, she had no room to judge), civilians tended to look down on him. His coat was shabby and torn in many places, his boots had definitely seen better days, the wrappings around his arms were filthy, and she’d be hard pressed not to find mud caked in his hair and beard. When asked, he told her people didn’t look twice at beggars. She didn’t have the heart to tell him they did; just not when he was looking.

They wandered around Trostenwald for a bit, eventually stumbling on the notice board in the middle of town. There was a post about unloading crates, but Caleb barely spared it a second glance. He pulled down the other post, reading over the parchment, and handed it to Nott.

“What do you think?”

She read the page, furrowing her eyebrows. “Gnolls? Maybe, maybe the crates would be better.”

“Ja, but look at me.” Caleb smiled self-deprecatingly, gesturing to himself. “I’m not strong and you...” He sighed, his shoulders sagging. “Maybe this is a bad idea.”

“No, hey, listen. Okay. Let’s-” Nott looked nervously at the parchment. “Let’s go kill some gnolls.”

They visited the Lawmaster long enough to let her know they were going to take on the gnoll case. She’d given them both an incredulous look before she told them the job (and the gold) was theirs’ if they survived. Nott almost said something, but the uncomfortable look on Caleb’s face made her comeback die on her lips.

Besides, the Lawmaster wasn’t wrong; they weren’t exactly the crack team of gnoll fighters she was probably hoping for and nothing would change that fact.

They left without another word.

* * *

 

Together, they walked out of town, heading towards the direction the Lawmaster pointed them in. Nott reached up, grabbing Caleb’s hand, and squeezed it. He squeezed back, and they continued on.

“Maybe we should stick around town for a bit after this,” Caleb commented after a few minutes, reaching up with his free hand to pet the orange tabby draped over his shoulders.

“S-stick around?” Nott released his hand, fiddling with the bandages wrapped around her arm. “Why?”

“I-I, um, I just feel...” Caleb stopped, crouching down so he was in Nott’s line of sight. He reached out carefully, placing his hands on her shoulders. “We make a great team, you and I, and I like travelling with you, but we’re not enough. We need...”

“Are you saying you don’t want to travel with me anymore?” Nott can’t help the sudden terror that settled in her stomach. She’s become too attached to Caleb. She can’t let him go now. She  _ needed _ him.

Frantically shaking his head, Caleb said, “Nein, I am not saying that. I am just saying maybe, maybe we can find friends. Companions. To travel with. Uh, uh-” he gestured for a moment, searching for the right word. “Backup, you know?”

“Backup?” Nott narrowed her eyes, thinking over his request. Finally, her expression cleared and she nodded. “Okay, Caleb. We’ll talk about that after we kill these gnolls.”

He gave her another pale smile, gently squeezing her shoulders, and stood up.

* * *

 

They walked another twenty or so minutes before coming across the last known location of the gnoll camp. Nott followed Caleb around, watching him scan the area for any signs as to where they might have gone.

Frumpkin sniffed around for a bit before getting bored and climbing a tree, disappearing into the branches. He’d probably return with another dead animal to give to Caleb; even the cat thought he didn’t eat enough.

After a brief silence, Nott curiously asked, “Are you any good at tracking?”

Caleb paused for a moment before shaking his head. “ Nein .”

“So you don’t know what you’re looking for?”

He sighed and shook his head again. “ Nein .”

“What do you know about Gnolls?”

Caleb turned to Nott, shrugging. “I know enough. They’re humanoid, they don’t speak Common…” he muttered something in another language, half turning away from Nott. He put his hands on his hips, heaving a dejected sigh. “Perhaps this is a mistake.”

“No, let’s, let’s just look around.” Nott dropped to the ground, crawling around, looking for anything helpful.

“You, you don’t have to humor me.” Caleb moved forward, pulling Nott to her feet. “Perhaps adventuring isn’t our thing.”

“I can keep stealing stuff for us, if you want. I’m fine with it.”

Caleb gave her a sad smile, crossing his arms and hunching his shoulders. “You shouldn’t have to steal for us. For  _ me. _ ” He uncrossed his arms, burying his head in his hands.

He’s quiet for a long moment before scrubbing his hands down his face, suddenly determined. “No, no we’re here. Let’s just. Let’s keep looking.”

Worried, Nott reached up to squeeze his wrist. “Okay, Caleb. Let’s keep looking.”

He nodded, turning away from her, suddenly crying out in pain.

"Caleb!” Nott exclaimed, watching him clutch at the arrow sticking out of his gut.

“I-I think we found them,” he said weakly, turning to see two gnolls jump down from a nearby tree. A third appeared from behind the same tree, nocking his bow.

Caleb backed up a few steps, conjuring a ball of flame into his hand, and shot it at the gnoll with the bow. It screeched in pain, reeling back, baring its sickly, yellow teeth. It fired another arrow at Caleb, piercing his shoulder, and he cried out again, dropping to his knees.

“Caleb!” Nott hurried towards him, trying to pull him to his feet, but she wasn’t strong enough. She looked towards the gnolls, watching as one sprinted towards them, and raised her crossbow, aiming for his face.

Her shot went wide, just as the gnoll lashed out at her with its teeth. She shouted in surprise, jumping back, feeling its teeth graze her arm. It snarled at her, going in for another attack, just as another one rushed at her from the other side.

She pivoted her body, blocking Caleb from view, and shouldered her crossbow, pulling her short sword free from her belt. She noticed the bow gnoll nocking another arrow, its gaze locked on Caleb. She needed to take this thing out before it killed him; he could not die.

Behind her, she heard Caleb struggle to his feet. Flames burst forth, slamming into one of the gnolls standing next to Nott, and it hissed in pain. The bow gnoll let out a screech, letting loose another arrow, and Nott heard Caleb grunt followed by a thud.

Looking over her shoulder, Nott had to hold back a scream. Caleb was lying in a heap on the ground, bleeding and unconscious. Nott looked back at the gnolls, baring her teeth, and lashed out with her sword. She cursed under her breath when she missed, readying herself for another attack.

The two gnolls near her snarled, trying to bite her again, but they both missed, yipping at her when she bobbed and weaved out of their way. A arrow whizzed past her ear, narrowly missing her, and she looked towards the gnoll with the bow. She had to take that one out before it decided to fire at Caleb again.

She swung her sword wildly, missing, and let loose a frustrated breath. She didn’t want to leave Caleb, but she’d never been very good with a sword. She’d do a lot better with her crossbow.

She cried out when teeth sank into her side, screeching when another set of teeth clamped onto her arm. She shook the gnolls off, slashing at them with her sword, chucking it at the ground when she missed a third time.

“Fuck that sword,” she snarled yanking her crossbow free from her shoulder, wincing when the twine dug into her skin.

She fired, point blank, at the gnoll directly in front of her, screaming in anger when she missed. She fired again, cursing out loud when the shot went wild. “What the fuck!?”

She jumped back when another arrow flew at her, twisting out of the way, and it splintered into a tree. She skittered away from the two gnolls trying to bite at her again, yanking one of the two potions she had stolen from her bag, and dropped down next to Caleb, dumping the fluid down his throat. He coughed, stirring awake. His eyes slowly opened and he blinked twice before his gaze settled on Nott.

“ _ Was _ ?” he murmured and Nott shook her head.

“No time. Get up.”

With Nott’s help, Caleb was able to stand up. He leaned heavily against her, his gaze darting between the three gnolls, and he summoned more fire. The flames shot towards the nearest gnoll, missing entirely, and Nott heard Caleb mutter something under his breath.

“Maybe, maybe getting companions is a good idea,” she commented and she felt him huff next to her.

He pressed one of his hands into his bleeding stomach, pulling it away and looking down at his red palm. “This is not going well, no?”

“No.” Nott looked down at her crossbow, chewing on her lip. “I have a plan, but I’m going to have to leave you for a moment. Can you cause a distraction?”

Fingers twitching, eyes wary, Caleb slowly nodded. “Okay.”

“Okay.” Nott pulled her hood up, ducking behind Caleb, just as he summoned more fire, throwing it at the gnolls’ feet. The flames went wide, but it did distract them long enough for Nott to duck behind a tree.

She focused on the bow gnoll first, darting out from her hiding spot to fire at him, watching as the arrow sank into his sternum. She reloaded quickly, firing again, but she missed this time, and with a snarl she scrambled back behind the tree.

Caleb yanked his diamond from his pocket, pointing it at one of the two gnolls standing in front of him, and a flash of orange pierced its head. It screamed in pain, clutching its flaming hair, and Caleb turned to attack the other one only to grunt when it sank its teeth into his arm.

Nott jumped when something impacted into the tree she'd hid behind, and she looked down to see a broken arrow laying on the ground. She took a swig from the flask at her hip, muttering a curse under her breath, and threw herself out from behind the tree again, firing at the bow gnoll.

“Fucking finally,” she said as she watched the bolt slam into its throat and its body slump to the ground. Another flash of fire burst forth from Caleb’s hand, knocking one of the gnolls away from him, and it let loose a pained yip.

The other gnoll reared back, snapping at Caleb again, its teeth sinking into his leg and knocking him to the ground, his head impacting with a jutted out branch with a sickening thud. This time Nott yelled unintelligibly, popping out from her hiding place, and fired at the gnoll standing over Caleb.

The bolt sank into its chest, and soundlessly it landed in a heap on the ground. She reloaded her crossbow, firing again. Despite missing, she watched as the remaining gnoll looked between his two fallen companions and then turned and bolted.

Nott fired out of anger, the bolt slamming into the back of the gnolls head and sending it to the ground. When she was certain it was dead, she slung her crossbow onto her back and hurried towards Caleb, removing the second (and final) potion from her bag. She sank to the ground next to him, giving him the potion, and waited worriedly for him to wake up.

This time it took a few seconds longer, but with a soft groan his eyes fluttered open. Nott pulled his head into her lap, fighting the urge to give him a hug, and asked, “Are you okay, Caleb?”

“Are they dead?” he asked faintly, struggling to sit up.

Nott helped him, one hand hovering over him just in case he started to fall back, and said, “Yeah. They’re dead.”

“Good.” He pushed at the ground, trying and failing to get up. “Help me, ja?”

“Yeah.”

It took effort, but eventually they stood up. Together they looked at the dead gnolls, Caleb’s eyes clouding over for a moment, but before Nott could ask if he were okay, he shook his head and his gaze cleared once more.

"I think companions are an excellent idea," Nott announced once she's certain he wasn't going to collapse to the ground, pretending like she hadn’t seen him space out.

She called it a win when she saw the faint hint of an amused smile on his face.

* * *

 

Hobbling back towards town, Caleb leaning heavily against her, Frumpkin once again draped over his shoulders, her useless sword back on her belt, Nott looked up at the rapidly setting sun. They had to get back before it got dark; she knew Caleb couldn't handle another fight.

Caleb coughed softly, wincing, and murmured, “It’ll be nice. Sleeping in a real bed tonight.”

“Yeah.” Nott remembered a time when she had a real bed. A real family. A real life. She looked up at Caleb, his eyes filled with pain and exhaustion, and she wondered if she could have it again. If this wizard could give her back her life; possibly someday when he became more powerful.

She’s going to help him get powerful even if it killed her.


End file.
